


Rachel's Rescue

by Zeitgeist82



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, amberprice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-14
Updated: 2019-09-11
Packaged: 2020-05-07 20:03:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19216540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeitgeist82/pseuds/Zeitgeist82
Summary: *Max can‘t let this happen. Even tho she never met Rachel she has to save the girl who was there for Chloe when she wasn‘t. She will travel back to Seattle through a photo she found in her old polaroid collection to change the past. At this point in time Chloe is already in love with Rachel and Jefferson is still on the loose. She focuses on the picture as it comes alive and pulls her in. Everything fades to white before she wakes up in Seattle...*





	1. The phone call

**Author's Note:**

> Fanfiction is based on the amazing fanart by sheparrd. (twitter.com/Zeitgeist8281/status/1139630006798376966)  
> Wrote it in chat-type-style because I think it's quite fitting for this chapter.  
> Hope you enjoy :)

Max: "I need to make this right… And I know I can...“ *hastily grabbing her phone to call Chloe*  
Chloe: *picking up* "Max?!?"  
M: "Hi Chloe...  
Before you say anything, I‘m terribly sorry for not keeping in touch and being such a shitty friend. I don't expect you to ever forgive me BUT I have something batshit crazy to tell you and you just have to trust me."  
C: "Woah, slow down Max, I don't understand, why are you calling n..."  
M: "Please, Chloe we don't have much time. I know its confusing but I can't explain right now."  
C: "...But why Max? What's so important now? ...I suppose nothing was before, huh?"  
M: "Chloe… It‘s not like that. I‘m so sorry and I will explain everything once this is over, ok? But please, trust me on this one."  
C: *signs* "Ok Max, I trust you."  
M: "Thank you... before I start you might want to sit down..."  
C: "Whatever..." *lays down on her bed*  
M: "Rachel's life is in danger, Chloe..."  
C: *rapidly sitting up again* "What??! How the hell do you know Rachel? What do you mean she's in danger??"  
M: "...Mark Jefferson is a psycho who targets and kidnaps girls from Blackwell to make them his 'art'. Rachel is one of his next targets."  
C: *shocked & confused* "Come again? Jefferson the art teacher??! He is after Rachel? What the hell?  
...How could you possibly know all that, Max? You're scaring me shitless."  
M: "Because... because I‘ve been there, Chloe. You will probably not believe me, but I guarantee you that I‘m 100 percent serious."  
C: "Please, just tell me."  
M: “I have some sort of power that lets me know things I shouldn‘t. I don‘t understand it myself but I know it‘s real despite that so please believe me. For Rachel‘s sake."  
C: …….  
M: *panicing slightly* "Chloe, are you there, can you still hear me?"  
C: "I don't understand Max, but I know you would never lie to me...  
But what can I even do?... Oh god Rachel, please… please not her."  
M: "I know it‘s hard right now but you need stay as calm as possible, ok?"  
C: *scared & puzzled* "I will try to.“  
M: "We don‘t have much time so I need you to write down the stuff I tell you so that you don‘t forget anything, alright?"  
C: *getting up from her bed* "Sure… ehm… just let me find some damn pen in this mess… Fuck! Stupid boxes... I seriously need to tidy up this clusterfuck… can‘t find shit in here… Ha! Got it. Go on, Max.“  
M: "You won‘t like this but I need you to ask David for help.“  
C: "David?? Why him of all people?“  
M: "I know you don‘t like or trust him, but he has been onto the Prescotts and Jefferson for a while and he is miliary trained. He will keep you safe. This mission is way too dangerous alone and I would never forgive myself if Jefferson hurt you."  
C: *angry* "Of course the Prescotts are onboard… Fucking parasites...  
*signs* I‘m really not in the mood to ask David to play hero but from what you tell me that Jefferson psycho sounds fucking nuts. So I guess it‘s pretty stupid to go alone for once.  
What do you want me to tell him?“  
M: *relieved that Chloe is ok with David coming along*  
"Tell David that Mark Jefferson has drugged and kidnapped multiple Blackwell students to bring them to a secret bunker and take sick photos of them. His current target is Rachel Amber. He will find all the needed evidence to put him behind bars right there.“  
C: "But where the hell is this stupid bunker, Max?“  
M: "It‘s hidden under an old barn north of town. Drive about 2 miles in that direction on the main road. You have to exit the main road there to continue on a gravel road that leads to a logging camp. It‘s signposted. Don‘t follow it all the way to the logging camp tho. Take the next turn right and follow it. Are you with me so far, Chloe?“  
C: *busy writing down all the important info* "I‘m with you Max, go on...“  
M: "This path takes you to an old barn which looks like it has been abandoned for many years. Stop right there. There's a hole behind a metal sheet leaning on the left wall. That‘s your entry ticket. Inside you will find a brand new hatch hidden under some hay and dirt in the ground. Tell David to bring the strongest bolt cutter he can find. Use it to open the hatch. Down there you will find a high security vault door with a keypad. The code is 5 4 2...“  
C: " ...Five Four Two… Got it. Crap Max, this isn‘t how I imagined our first talk in such a long time. I‘m really scared.“  
M: "I know Chloe, but I believe in you and I know you can do this. You‘re the strongest person I know.  
*Max‘ headache suddenly gets much worse*  
Arghh… Fuck! Our time is up, Chloe. Now... please go and save Rachel. And take care.“  
C: "I will… And Max? Thank you... seriously.“


	2. The barn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember how I said the story was done? About that...  
> I noticed that I kinda left out the most important part of the story. The part that actually leads to the scene in the artwork of sheppard. Dunno why.   
> Plus I had motivation to write again so here we go. Better late than never, right.
> 
> Big SO to escherlat for beta-reading once again. He's really awesome so please check out his stories as well. They are mindblowing. In a good way of course.
> 
> Enjoy reading frens :)

*change to Chloe‘s POV*  
Fucking hell. That was a weird sign of life for sure. Whatever. If Rach is really in danger I have to do something about it.  
*Chloe tries to call Rachel‘s cellphone multiple times*  
„Pick up Rach, god dammit!“  
After several attempts she decided that her angel will probably not answer the phone.  
„Max was right. I need to get David to help me. Something‘s wrong here.“  
*quickly grabbing her phone and the scribbled note before swiftly making her way downstairs*  
„David? You here?“ she hollers.  
„In the garage. What's going on?“ a voice muffled by the wall separating the ground floor rooms replies.  
She entered the man cave without waiting for permission.  
„I need your help and we don‘t have much time.“ she cuts right to the case which takes David aback.  
„My help? That‘s a sudden change of attitude. What do you need?“  
„I got a call from Max. My best friend back when Dad was still alive. She told me some very sensitive details about something you‘ve been working on as security guard…“  
„That‘s impossible. You told me she moved away years ago. How could she know details about my work at Blackwell?“  
„...The honest answer is: I don‘t know. I really don‘t. But she said that Rachel is danger. In mortal danger, actually. And I just tried to call her. She‘s not picking up. That‘s not like her at all. She always has her phone on person. Please, David. I am really scared that Max is right.“  
„What exactly did your friend tell you?“  
„She told me to write it down so that I don‘t forget anything… ---handing him the note--- here you go. She also told me that he is probably armed.“  
*David‘s eyes are getting bigger with every line he reads*  
„Damn, I know something about this Jefferson wasn‘t licit. It actually kinda stacks up. I have no clue how your friend could possibly know details like this but it‘s too specific to be a lie.“  
„She would never lie to me about something this important. I promise. So, will you help me with this?“  
„Yes. I don’t understand how she got the information about this creep but I trust you. If Rachel is in trouble we need to do something about that. But it‘d be foolish to go by ourselves. Let me call some police buddies first.“  
„Fine, but can you make it quick? I don‘t wanna stay here doing nothing when she might be inside some bunker in the middle of nowhere. Probably scared to death as well.“  
„I know. But we need to be prepared too if he is dangerous. I promise I won't be long.“  
She left him alone to make some calls while walking around the living room not really sure what to do with herself. She overheard David arranging a meeting point and preparing for the mission. She was taken aback when she saw him equipped with a bullet-proof vest, pistol and bolt cutter.  
„Ready?“ he asked.  
„Yeah... Let‘s go.“  
Once they are joined by the police car and on their way towards this mystery bunker David is the one to break the silence.  
„Ok so we‘re 4 people total. You plus 2 officers and me. We need to catch him at his most vulnerable. We need to do this fast so that he doesn‘t have any time to prepare, ok?“  
„Understood. What do you want me to do?“  
„Stay behind us and be as quiet as possible before we enter that bunker. I‘ll let you know when the coast is clear. Don't go in until we give the all clear. It‘s not safe otherwise.“  
„Ok“ the bluenette whispers back. ---mentally trying to prepare for whatever sight might reveal to her when they get down there---  
„I know you‘re scared, but we will get her. Nobody will hurt her. But you need to stay as calm as you can, alright?“  
„Now you sound like Max.“ Chloe tries to joke before getting focused again. „...yeah I will stay calm.“ she assures him with a light smile.  
„Good.“

„That‘s the one, David. You need to turn right now.“ Chloe guides her driver.  
„Alright.“  
After a little more navigating unpaved roads they arrived at the described barn.  
„Guess we‘re here. Get out of the car, be calm and be quiet. And stay behind us.“  
„Yes, sir.“  
The two cars come to a stop and 4 doors open and close.  
David gets his bolt cutter out of the trunk of his car and pistol ready.  
„Alright gentleman. Let‘s do this.“  
With these words the quartett enters the barn through the entrance Max suggested. They move the piece of metal aside and step through, one at a time. Inside the barn they can easily find where they have to look. The hatch underneath is covered by hay but it was very clear that it has been moved recently. They collectively clean the hay off the hatch before David put his probably 3ft long bolt cutter in position. Good thing he brought that one because even with this massive lever it took him quite a bit of effort to break the lock.  
They open the hatch and David encourages Chloe to go first after he checked that everything is clear. „Go on. You know the combination.“  
„Oh. Sure.“ The bluenette steps down hesitantly. When the officers are in position they nod at her and she lays her shaking fingers on the number pad. Five. Four. Two. Enter.  
Chloe can hear multiple heavy metal elements moving inside this high security door. As soon as the door falls silent the men slam their shoulders into the door to push it open as fast as possible. The 3 men quickly form a position to ensure that the target has no chance to fight or flee. All pointing their guns at him David shouts: „Hands where I can see them! No games Jefferson! 2 steps back from her! Slowly!“  
They slowly come closer to him while he does as he‘s told. He clearly didn‘t expect a thing. One of the officer cuffs him while the other one and David still point their gun at him in case he‘d try anything. Once they are certain that he has no weapons on him David checks the girls pulse. It‘s there. Thank god.  
„You can come in now, Chloe.“ he exclaims towards the bunkers entrance. Slowly his stepdaughter appears inside the room.  
„Oh god, Rachel!“ she cries once she spots her girl. She runs past the men not caring about anything around her.  
„Chloe? ...where am I? I feel so dizzy...“ the blonde whispers. Eyes mostly closed. Drugs still wearing off.  
„It doesn‘t matter. You‘re safe now. I am here with you.“ Chloe was so damn happy that her girl was alive that all of the tension released into her crying joyfully. It felt so damn awesome to touch her skin, her face, her hands. Even tho Rach would probably not even feel it Chloe couldn‘t resist kissing Rachel‘s forehead. That simple sign of affection just felt exactly right. Just the two of them.  
They stay there for several minutes, just feeling each other and enjoying the silence and company.  
Eventually Chloe feels a hand on her shoulder. It‘s David‘s.  
„Let‘s get her out of here, alright?“  
The bluenette gets up and hugs him too. Surprisingly passionate. Like she never did before. „Thank you.“  
„Just doin‘ my job here...“ he replies simply.  
„Shut up, David. You believed me. You were there for me. Thank you for that.“  
„You‘re welcome.“ he answered with a smile. „I‘m gonna carry her into the car. Do you want to hold her hand in the meantime?“  
Chloe was totally blown away by this consideration. Was this the same person she was constantly arguing and fighting? Didn‘t feel like it. What was going on?  
„Yeah… Yeah I do.“ she said.  
Her eyes were so full of love. It made David really happy to see his step-daughter like this. She had tried to act as if these two rebels were just friends but it wasn‘t hard to tell what was really going on here if you weren‘t totally blind.  
The two officers led the way with Jefferson on the front, while the girls and David followed behind them. Jefferson got sat inside the back of the police car before David carefully lifted Rach inside the back of their own car and said his goodbyes to his buddies. The first car drove off quickly after that. When turning around David found Chloe in the back of the car caressing Rachel‘s hand.  
He joined them wordlessly. He just turned the key in the ignition and started to drive back to their house.  
„Haven‘t seen you this happy in a long time.“ He eventually stated.  
„...Yeah. I am just so glad Rach is ok.“  
„Me too. And if I can be really honest with you I can totally see that she is very important to you. I can clearly see the care and love in your eyes. ...I guess I just want to say that you don‘t need to hide her feelings for her from us. You have nothing to fear or be ashamed for. Your mother and I just want you to be happy. And you clearly are with her.“  
…  
„I… I don‘t know what to say… Was it really that obvious?“  
She got her reply with a knowing look of David in the rearview mirror.  
„Damn…“

„You wanna call Max? To thank her?“  
„Oh, yes, right. I will. And thanks for having my back, again.“  
„My pleasure.“  
They drove the rest of the way silently while listening to Rachel‘s calm sleeping breaths and the beeps of Chloe‘s phone trying to call Max.  
Rachel was safe. That was all that mattered. And she was so thankful for that.


	3. A new reality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The 3rd chapter is live. Finally. Thanks for your patience :)  
> Big SO again to Escherlat for beta-reading. Check out his stories if you haven't already.  
> Hope you enjoy reading my small story.
> 
> PS: Rachel calls Chloe 'Ellie' in this chapter. It's her nickname for the bluenette based on her middle name 'Elisabeth'.

The late-summer sun greeted the time traveller as she woke up in the new reality.  
„Woah. Where am I?“ Max thought to herself while her eyes squinted from the glaring light.  
After some seconds her eyes were adjusted enough to have a look around.  
„Hm… must be Blackwell‘s dorm. But this is another room. It looks slightly different.“  
She then started searching for Chloe in her phone‘s contacts.  
Beep. Beep. Beep...  
Max glanced around the room a little more while dialling. It had the same layout as basically any dorm room and had the same vibe as before. There were some minor differences present but that didn‘t surprise her. Change was good. Change meant she probably made something better. This time at least.  
She got up and took a step towards her photo wall to find some new pictures on it. She didn‘t remember taking those. Before she had time to have a good look at them there was sound on the other end of the line.  
„Hey Super-Max, what‘s cracking?“ a familiar voice greeted her.  
„Chloe! Yes! Where‘s Rachel?“ * exited *  
„...She‘s with me. We‘re hanging at the old junkyard… Didn‘t I tell you about that yesterday?“  
„Oh right, sorry. I totally forgot about that. Would you mind if I joined you guys?“  
„Are you joking? Get your ass down here, girl. See you soon, Maximus.“  
„Awesome, I‘ll be right there.“  
The feeling of a plan finally working was so satisfying. Rachel was alive! Chloe was alive. Good.  
She might have to bombard these two with a bunch of questions to learn more about this unfamiliar timeline, but this time she actually looked forward to that. She had a good feeling about this reality.  
She quickly checked her schedule to confirm the absence of classes this afternoon. She didn‘t want to unnecessarily skip classes during the first day of this new life.  
„Okay, so no classes this afternoon. Perfect.“  
Now she just had to pack her bag before heading out ‚into the wild‘. She chuckled quietly while imagining using a machete to hack her way through the jungle to access the junkyard. She played way too many Tomb Raider games already. Luckily there were no such obstacles in her way today.  
After grabbing her purse and jacket she rushed out of her room and almost bumped into Kate in her hurry.  
„Oh, what‘s the hurry Max?“ Kate greeted her with an angelic smile on her lips.  
„Kate! Oh it‘s so good to see you!“ She threw her arms around the smaller girl and pulling her into a tight hug way too excitedly. She had so much momentum that Kate had to take a step back.  
„Woah, Max you seem to be in a very good mood today, but we saw each other literally one hour ago. In photography classes this morning. Remember?“ She explained after facing Max again.  
„Oh... yeah. Right. Well, I don‘t really care today. Max stated mirroring Kate’s smile. “You‘re one of my best friends and today is just a nice day, you know. Ehm… sorry my memory is a mess this week. Do you want to hang out later this week? Have we made any arrangements like this yet?“  
Still smiling and appreciating the nice words Kate informed her that they wanted to have tea together this thursday.  
„Awesome. Gotta go, tho. Have a good day Kate. I‘m gonna meet Rachel and Chloe now. See you soon.“  
„Have fun. And be safe.“  
With another quick hug they each went their own way.

The bus ride to the closest stop to the junkyard was pretty uneventful. Everything was exactly as before. Well, most things to be exact. There were slight changes here and there but they were so minor that only a trained photographer and time-traveller would spot them. Something major was different tho.  
No dead whales. No hurricane. Good.

The junkyard was pretty much identical when compared to the former timeline so she didn‘t have any trouble finding the Price hideout. „Chloe? I‘m here“ she exclaimed when she got close enough to be heard from the fort.  
It didn‘t take long until a blue-haired force happily ran in her direction before transferring her momentum into playfully lifting and spinning around the smaller girl.  
„There you are you little hipster“ she declared while still spinning around.  
„Let me down you idiot“ Max laughed while playfully pounding Chloe‘s back.  
After some more seconds they actually came to a stop but with Max now facing away from the hideout.  
„You‘re lucky I am such a lightweight. Otherwise you‘d have to search for another partner to spin around all day.“ Max joked.  
„Never. You‘re the one and only.“ the bluenette said with a smirk.  
„But on a serious note: did you seriously already forget what I told you yesterday? How old are you? 95?“  
Max sighed. It would just be more complicated the later she talked about this. She would have to tell her the truth now. No more beating around the bush. There was no right time anyway. There was only now.  
„No. I lied, sorry.  
I didn‘t want to tell you about this on the phone so I guess now must suffice.“  
„Okay... so what happened?“  
„Remember when I called you after William died?“  
„Oh man. It was years ago. But yeah… I think so. You apologized for abandoning me… and you were in a hurry but insisted you couldn‘t explain what was going on at the moment.“  
„Exactly. Are you ok with me explaining it now?“  
„Go ahead.“  
„Remember this weird power I told you about?“  
„I do. What‘s up with that?“  
„The ‚knowing things I shouldn‘t‘ wasn‘t a lie but also not the full story. It‘s a bit more complicated than that.“ Max sighed.  
„I was able to gather this knowledge by travelling back in time.“ she confessed  
„...Timetravel, Max? Are you sure?“ Chloe asked with a sceptical tone.  
„I am. At first the rewind was only up to 30 seconds but later I found a way to travel back further using photos. I used an old photo to go so far back that I could call you and warn you about Rachel.“ „I didn‘t do that in the original timeline...“ she added in a whisper.  
„Waitwaitwait… original timeline? What does that even mean?“ * puzzled *  
„It means that I have been to multiple realities… The original timeline is where I got this power. My cluelessness earlier is a result of me ‚jumping‘ into this reality. My knowledge and I guess my mind remains the same while my body changes. So I don‘t know what the Max of this reality knew or did prior to like 2 hours ago.“  
Max could actually see Chloe trying to wrap her head around this new information.

„...So you left the first reality to call me and… tell me about Rachel?“  
„Exactly.“  
„Which means… fuck. What happened to Rachel in the first timeline, Max?“ Chloe‘s voice became hesitant, scared even.  
Lowering her head Max whispered „Nobody knew where she was. She didn‘t survive. Jefferson killed her after the drugs wore off too soon and it was too dangerous to let her go.“  
„He… he killed Rachel?“ Chloe breathed out.  
„I am so sorry.“  
Max could see Chloe‘s eyes becoming very teary, so she pulled her into a tight hug trying to comfort her as best as possible.  
„But I changed it. She is alive, Chloe. Because of you.“  
„Rachel… Fuck, Max. Without you we wouldn‘t have found her. You are the one who saved her, not me.“  
„Well, technically it might have been David, I gue...“  
„Oh shut the fuck up.“ Chloe commanded. „You travelled through freaking time to save my girlfriend. You‘re beyond amazing, Max.“ After finishing her praise she planted a sweet kiss on Max‘ cheek.  
„I can‘t thank you enough Max. Thank you, seriously.“  
The smaller girl couldn‘t help but smile and blush a little bit.

They were so deep in conversation that they didn‘t even notice Rachel approaching. „What‘s going on guys?“ The sudden introduction of an unfamiliar voice into their intimate conversation made Max jump a tiny bit. When she turned around she was blown away by the mysterious girl she never actually met before. Very stylish clothes, flowing blonde, almost golden hair, poised green eyes and an enchanting smile made her really breathtaking. For her Max wasn‘t an unfamiliar face of course, so she was really taken aback when Max turned and hugged her a bit like she did with Kate.  
Too much momentum,  
„Woah, hey Max, it‘s good to see you too but what‘s going on?“  
„It‘s just good to hold you.“  
Rachel gave Chloe a quizzical look. Max acted really strange today.  
„Just give her a minute.“ Chloe said with a reassuring smile.  
So they stood there for multiple minutes in silence. Chloe gave them a bit of space and returned into the fort. These two might need some time to their own. Eventually Rachel noticed that her left shoulder became a bit damp. Max was silently crying in her arms. „Hey. Talk to me, Mini-Max. What‘s wrong?“  
„I… I am just so happy you are alive.“  
„What do you mean? Of course I am.“ she replied still not sure what Max was going on about.  
„I have to tell you something. But it might sound really batshit crazy. I won't be surprised if you have a hard time believing.“  
„Relax, Max. I‘ll believe you.“  
„Fine.“ She basically repeated everything she shared with Chloe while adding some more information about their ‚Seattle phone call‘.

„...and that‘s why I was so excited to touch you today. I literally never met you before, even tho you met me already… if that makes any sense. And one more thing, thank you, really thank you so much for being there for Chloe when I wasn‘t.“ she ended her confession while her damp eyes were locked on Rachel‘s.  
„You‘re the most amazing girl ever.“ Rachel stated with an honest smile. „Thanking me when you literally saved my life. I will never be able to thank you enough for that. But I‘ll try.“ And with that she too planted a kiss on Max‘ other cheek.  
„Thanks for sharing all that with us. I really appreciate it and I‘m sure Ellie does too. Now let’s go and have some fun. You hella deserve it.“  
„Sounds awesome.“ Max replied while both girls wore their brightest smile.  
„Hella awesome.“ Rachel emphasized while grabbing her hand to lead her into their hideout.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading :)
> 
> Feel free to like, share and give feedback.  
> Greatly appreciated.

**Author's Note:**

> \- End of chapter 1 -  
> Thanks for reading my story :)  
> Next chapter will probably be published in a couple of weeks.  
> It's my first time sharing a work so feel free to let me know what you think. Feedback and constructive criticism is always welcome.  
> Have a good one.


End file.
